I haven’t had a drop of alcohol in 5 months. I can’t tell you how proud I am of that accomplishment! I’ve been drinking on and off for close to 20 years and realized that this behavior has to be causing damage to my body and that I’m not getting any younger so it was time to stop. I would only drink on Friday and Saturday but I knew I needed to break the cycle. Especially once I came to the realization that I’m an alcoholic. If you are struggling with alcohol addiction I highly recommend the Sober Grid app. The community and the counter was just what I needed to stay motivated and accountable to a community. Knowing how many days I have gone since my last drink keeps me from wanting to start over and the community is super supportive. It’s completely free so give it a try…
When “X” happens then I’ll be happy. X can be anything: Getting a new job or promotion. Meeting that new special someone. Buying a new car. Moving into your dream house. Graduate college. The problem is that there will always be another “X”. True happiness comes from being in the present moment. The “When and Then” trap looks like this If I can just get this done , then I can finally relax… When I have more money, then I will be happy… When I get a new job, then my life will be better.. Live in the present moment and realize that true contentment comes from the inside.
The holidays are supposed to be a time of happiness and joy spent with close friends and family. However for many of us Thanksgiving and Christmas can be a time of isolation and sadness. As someone who has lost both parents, the holidays are a painful reminder that they are no longer around. When I attend family events with my extended family it’s an in the face reminder that my mom and dad are gone. This causes feelings of anger, resentment, and jealousy when I see my cousins spending time and creating new memories with their parents which I will never be able to do again. My wife visits with her parents during the holidays and my kids always enjoy this special time with their grandparents. It makes me sad that they will never be able to enjoy these moments with my parents. I know all too well the feelings…
Stress…anxiety….worry. Whatever you want to call it anxiety sucks. My anxiety levels are usually through the roof in the morning so I have tried everything under the sun to bring my anxiety under control. I’ve experimented with several over the counter herbal remedies and have found two that help me immensely. These are Holy Basil and L-theanine. PLEASE CONSULT WITH YOUR DOCTOR, OR OTHER QUALIFIED HEALTH CARE PROFESSIONAL BEFORE USING ANY PRODUCT DISCUSSED WITHIN THIS WEBSITE. My Experience I typically take a Holy Basil supplement and a L-theanine supplement every morning before breakfast. At this time my anxiety about going to work is typically pretty high. The supplements seem to kick in about 15 minutes or so when I am in my car during my commute. I typically feel a wave of calmness come over me that lasts for several hours. Usually enough to get me through the work day. …
I knew I was in trouble. My drinking was starting to get out of control. I got to the point that I was drinking every Friday, Saturday, and Sunday evening. I was doing this to relieve the anxiety of caused by my job and to “make the most” out of my weekends. Here is what I did not realize. Alcohol is a depressant so while it would make me feel better in the short-term, when my buzz wore off I was tired, lethargic, and more depressed than ever. It also was causing me to put on some extra pounds. Not only was I drinking extra calories, I had a really bad habit of binge eating while I was drunk. I was caught in a vicious cycle: Feel anxiety Drink Feel more anxiety Drink Rinse, Wash, Repeat I did this for years and found that I was getting less and less…
Sometimes I find it ironic and a little disingenuous that I have a site named Unstressed Life when I am so stressed out most of the time. I sometimes find it hard to write for the site given my state of mind and constant state of anxiety. The source of my stress can be attributed to one thing….my job. I hate my job and I feel like it is slowly killing me. I am stressed the entire day while I am in the office. Then when I come home I am worried about going back. Sunday is hell since the entire day is wasted dreading when I have to go back to the office. Monday morning is the worst. On my way to work I drive over a large lake on a narrow two-way street. I often fantasize about getting in a head on collision or spinning out of control…
Sometimes you can learn a valuable life lesson at the most unexpected time from the most unexpected person. This happened to me yesterday at Six Flags from my 7 year old son. He really wanted to ride the Titan – a massive roller coaster that is 25 stories high and has a top speed of 85 mph. I am not the biggest fan of roller coasters and was secretly hoping that he would change his mind as it got later in the day or when he actually saw it. I told him there was not pressure to ride it as we got closer and got in line. As I looked up at this massive coaster I said to myself “There is no way I’m getting on this thing” and hoped he would not be tall enough. To my dismay he was a few inches over the minimum height requirement so…
Both of my parents are dead. It’s still hard for me to say this or think about it. I’m an only child which adds to the pain and the recurring feelings of loneliness. My Dad has been dead for 11 years and my Mom has been gone for over 5. If you are going through the loss of a parent I am sorry. The pain never fully goes away. Even after all this time I still miss them dearly. I have come to realize that I am no longer the same person I was before they died. In some ways I am worse and in some ways I’m better but I will never be the same. I watched both of my parents die slow deaths before I turned 35. My mother had multiple sclerosis for over 30 years and I watched this dreadful disease rob her of almost everything slowly…
Finally! After struggling with my feet for countless years I finally decided to have surgery on my left foot to remove my growing bunion. Specifically I had a lapidus fusion, akin osteotomy, and excision of the tibial sesamoid. Ever since I can remember I have had severely flat feet but they did not cause a problem until recently. My podiatrist warned me a few years ago when I went to get fitted for orthotics that my bunion was growing and that I would most likely need surgery. I assumed this would be several years into the future. Boy was I wrong! Earlier this year while running a race (something that I immediately recognized as a mistake) my left big toe hurt immensely after I crossed the finish line. The pain was so bad that I went to urgent care. They took xrays and said they could not see any fractures.…
In case you haven’t heard about it yet let me be the first to tell you….power posing works. This is a great way that I have personally found to reduce stress and increase my overall confidence and the best news is that it only takes 2 minutes! Also it’s free and you can do it anywhere. I learned about this concept from what has become my favorite TED Talk “Your Body Language Shapes Who You Are” by Amy Cuddy. Immediately after watching this talk I sent it to all of my friends, my wife , and her family. You can check it out below. The science from power posing comes down to two hormones: Testosterone – the dominance hormone Cortisol – the stress hormone. After two minutes of power posing, it was determined that testosterone levels increased by 20% and cortisol levels reduced by 25%. It was also…